A & E hospital changes in pipeline?
We have been hearing for a long time now, about how our A & E departments are struggling to cope with so many patients - and this is before the Flu season gets under way.
Now it seems a scheme is being considered to cut A & E visits.
They are calling it "Talk Before you Walk," and talks are at the early stages already.
Dr. Helen Thomas, national medical advisor for integreated and urgent care at NHS England says it could test the scheme to cut emergency visits, and that Jeremy Hunt suggested it.
She says - "It has been done in other countries where they have actually said you can't come until you have had a referral."
It seems what this means is we will not be able to go to A & E unless a doctor or 111 have referred us first.
However, the Chairman of the BMA says - "Trying to solve a problem in one part of the NHS by shifting it to another, won't work. GP's now being brought into A & E units as a 'gateway to emergency care' were already overworked."
Jeremy Hunt has told MP's that up to a third of patients to not need to be seen in A & E.
I thought a lot of people went to A & E because their GP surgeries were closed and they couldn't get help, so I wonder how it will work when our GP's are closed, and A & E is out of bounds too???